Manifest Destiny was an expression coined by journalist John Louis O'Sullivan in 1845, when the Americans were occupying the West.
The expression refers to the fact that the Anglo-Saxons believed that it would be their mission to expand their civilization and institutions throughout the North American territory.
Historical Context
After the Independence of the Thirteen Colonies, the central government of the United States received the proposal for the Louisiana Purchase by the Napoleonic government.
The French general needed money to sponsor his wars in Europe and the Americans saw this as an opportunity to conquer more land.
Thus, the Louisiana Territory was purchased in 1803. The following year, the American government commissioned a commission to study the new lands and map them. In order to occupy them, colonization by American families and immigrants who did not have the resources to buy properties was encouraged.
However, this region was populated by Native Americans who saw their lands invaded, their hunting diminished and their people confined to reservations.
Learn more by reading The Thirteen Colonies and the Formation of the USA
Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny
A great debate took place in Congress and in the American press. Should the Americans keep advancing until they reach the Pacific?
Once Louisiana was occupied, what remained were the territories that had been Spain's and now belonged to Mexico. Should Americans go to war with the people of Texas?
There was also a dispute with the United States and Great Britain over Oregon, as the borders between Canada (under British administration) and the United States had not yet been established. through the Oregon Territory?
In the midst of this discussion, journalist John Louis O'Sullivan summarizes his opinion on the occupation of these territories:
O'Sullivan believed that the Americans were destined to build a great nation in that territory and that it was God's will.
Several people agreed with this proposal, especially the churches that started to organize missions to educate the indigenous people in the ways of the whites.
American Progress, John Gast, 1872. This figure illustrated a guide for peasants heading West.
Criticism
The expression “Manifest Destiny”, however, was harshly criticized by politicians in the northern states. These said that the term would serve to justify the expansion of slavery in the states that were created as the territories of the West were incorporated into the American federal government.
Despite this, O'Sullivan's words would later be recovered and used to substantiate the atrocities committed against the indigenous people. They were also used to support the expansionist US policy towards Central America and the Caribbean.
Even today it is possible to find remnants of "Manifest Destiny" in American politics when American presidents consider themselves the guardians of democracy and world freedom.
See also:March to the West